Teenage obesity is a serious health complication which is caused due to excess fat accumulation in the body. It is important to instill healthy eating habits in a teenager to get rid of the problem.

Teenage Obesity – On the rise

Teenagers who love to eat junk food often suffer from teenage obesity . Researchers have pointed out that nearly 9 million of children who are aged between 13 and 19 are overweight .The excess fat accumulates in the body which results in making the teenager overweight. It can give rise to serious health complications such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and even cancer. Obesity also affects the overall health of the teenager and may even lead to depression. A sedentary lifestyle coupled with the wrong eating habits often leads to teenage obesity. An overweight teenager needs support and help from family to get over obesity. It is important that parents guide them about the benefits of well balanced diet. A diet that is low on glycemic index should also be had in order to combat the obesity.

Teenage Weight – Depends On Body Type

The teenage weight varies according to the body type of the kid .When a teenager reaches puberty, there could be certain changes in the body of teenagers due to the release of certain hormones. It could result in faster muscle growth in boys and an increase in weight for girls. Often there is a sudden increase in weight too. It is quite easy to find out the ideal teenage weight of children in that age group. Body mass index or BMI is a method which is used to determine the correct body weight for a teenager. A teenager who has recorded BMI of 50 percentile is considered to be having a healthy weight. On the other hand, a teenager who is close to 85thpercentile or even more than that is considered obese.

Obese teens – Low On Physical Activity

Teens who are obese generally suffer from low self esteem and are often introvert in nature. These obese teens are generally couch potatoes and watch television throughout the day. In order to avoid this and to ensure that the kid gets enough physical activity, parents must make sure that there are no television sets in their child’s room. Parents should set an example of healthy eating habits themselves. Media often plays a role in marketing fast foods. Therefore it is important that the parent explains the consequences of fast food to the child. Obese teens in a bid to lose weight loss fast resort to meal replacement diets. These replacement diets make the teenager shed weight fast although, the weight often comes back. A teenager should therefore think hard before venturing into such diets.